Castelfranco Veneto, Medieval walled city in Province of Treviso, Italy
Castelfranco Veneto is a walled town in the Province of Treviso in Veneto, holding a rectangular fortress with red brick towers at each corner. The walls enclose a grid of narrow lanes that cluster around a central square with arcaded houses and a cathedral.
Treviso founded the settlement in 1199 to defend against Padua, employing 500 masons and 1000 workers for construction. The place received tax relief to attract residents inside the new walls.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta e San Liberale holds the Madonna with Saints by Giorgione from 1504, a painting that still draws visitors today. The work hangs in a side chapel, where light through tall windows falls on the colors.
The railway station connects three main lines to Venice, Bassano del Grappa and Vicenza, making day trips easier. The walled core is small enough to explore on foot, and most sights sit inside the fortress walls.
The name means Free Castle, a reference to the tax exemptions granted to the first settlers to encourage them to move in. This perk helped fill the fortress with residents quickly.
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